The measurement of air pressure along the surface of an aircraft wing during flight testing is a critical measurement for the design and testing of new aircraft. This measurement, however, is difficult to carry out without disturbing the airflow around the surface, which consequently reduces the accuracy of the measurement and makes the measurement less useful. One common method of measuring air pressure along the surface of an aircraft is to drill holes in the surface and implant recessed pressure transducers inside the surface body. This method is difficult and expensive to carry out and weakens the aircraft's structural integrity. Another common method is to place a very thin (approximately 0.2 inches), flat pack pressure transducer on the surface. A plastic ferring or RTV can then be used to smooth the transition from the aircraft surface to the transducer which minimizes air flow disturbance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,485 describes a pressure belt comprising a series of transducers mounted on a flexible substrate and can further comprise integrated electronics. The belt can then be glued to the surface of the aircraft which minimizes air flow disturbance and allows for the quick measurement of multiple pressures along the surface. One problem with this pressure belt, however, is that the transducers are fixed to the flexible substrate, making it very difficult and time consuming to switch out a single malfunctioning transducer. To replace one transducer, the entire belt must be removed from the aircraft, the malfunctioning transducer must be changed, and then the belt must be recompensated and reinstalled, which is both time consuming and costly
It is thus desirable to create a pressure belt that comprises a series of removable transducers to avoid having to remove and reinstall an entire pressure belt when one transducer stops working, wherein the pressure belt still maintains the thin and water-resistant properties that are important for operation. It is to this need that the present invention is directed.